Chap. IV. YGAP6 FOKEST. 287 



foot and a half above the glassy surface of the water, 

 producing such a deceptive imitation of a snake that at 

 first I had some difficulty in believing it to be the neck 

 of a bird ; it did not remain long in view, but soon 

 plunged again beneath the stream. 



We ran ashore in a most lonely and gloomy place, on 

 a low sandbank covered with bushes, secured the mon- 

 taria to a tree, and then, after making a very sparing 

 breakfast on fried fish and mandioca meal, rolled up 

 our trousers and plunged into the thick forest, which 

 here, as everywhere else, rose like a lofty wall of foliage 

 from the narrow strip of beach. We made straight for 

 the heart of the land, John Jabuti leading, and breaking 

 off at every few steps a branch of the lower trees, so 

 that we might recognise the path on our return. The 

 district was quite new to all my companions, and being 

 on a coast almost totally uninhabited by human beings 

 for some 300 miles, to lose our way would have been 

 to perish helplessly. I did not think at the time of 

 the risk we ran of having our canoe stolen by passing 

 Indians ; unguarded montarias being never safe even 

 in the ports of the villages, Indians apparently con- 

 sidering them common property, and stealing them 

 without any compunction. No misgivings clouded the 

 lightness of heart with which we trod forwards in 

 warm anticipation of a good day's sport. 



The tract of forest through which we passed was 

 Ygapo, but the higher parts of the land formed areas 

 which went only a very few inches under water in the 

 flood season. It consisted of a most bewildering diversity 

 of grand and beautiful trees, draped, festooned, corded, 



